Quest
by amateurwriting
Summary: Bee finds herself in another world where she has to do things in order to rescue Puppycat from something. Her journey takes her through many places, and Bee learns some new things about herself.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't wanna do anything today…" She curled herself in her warm blankets. "Just gonna lie down and…"

Bee's mind drifted away after an unfinished thought. It was another typical day for her and Puppycat. Around 2:00pm they would wake up, and shortly after they would crawl out of bed. Bee would eat a simple breakfast of whatever was inside the fridge. Puppycat didn't eat much, or at all. Once breakfast was finished Bee would toss her dishes onto a massive pile she would clear every Saturday. However today was not Saturday. Bee wasn't really sure what day it was. Usually after their morning routine, Bee and Puppycat would cycle between the internet and TV until bed time.

"What should I do today?" Bee thought to herself. She noticed that she had kept that rut for some time now, and on a whim decided that today shall not be uneventful and thus rolled out of bed. She walked over to her mini-fridge which mostly contained dairy products and bread, no vegetables whatsoever. "I should really go to the store." Bee noted to herself. She glanced over to the clock hanging at the wall next to the door. "4:15pm… is that too late?" Bee decided that she would have enough time if she left at this second. She walked over to Puppycat's cat/dog bed and nudged him over to wake up. "Puppycat, let's go to the store." She continued to nudge him. "We'll get snacks." She said enticingly. Puppycat finally awoke. " **Why would you disturb me from my peaceful slumber?** "He asked in gibberish. " **Had it not been for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you.** " "Come on Puppycat, don't be cranky." Bee picked him up and tapped his nose. "You little crank." She added while tapping his nose again.

Bee began driving to the store on her moped with Puppycat in tow, the sound of the engine being the only thing they could hear. Bee caught notice of this and thought "That's strange… Why don't I hear any cars?" Bee turned her head to check the road and noticed that there were no cars in sight. She thought this was rather odd, as this normally was a busy street.

Bee and Puppycat crossed over the bridge they had crossed so many times before. To her it acted as a sort of divider between the residential area and the city. On the other side of this bridge were buildings that seemed to tower indefinitely, with bright, flashing billboards and street lights contrasting against the calm, lavender sky. This sky also seemed off to Bee, as being only around 4:30 it was giving off a late evening color. Although it wasn't something to complain about. She liked the color of the sky, so much so that she stopped to take in it's full beauty. After dismounting her moped, she looked at the river below them. It was reflective, and shimmering.

"Puppycat? Do you think that the sky feels sad sometimes?"

" **The sky does not have feelings. It is a reflection of light through the atmosphere.** "

"I know, but it would be cool if the sky did had feelings. Like on a rainy day it would feel sad and on a bright, sunny day it would be happy."

" **That sounds too obvious.** "

Bee was lost in thought staring at the river. "If I was the sky… I would make clouds. And make them in the shape of people."

" **Who's?** "

"It depends."

" **Depends on what?** "

Bee realised she had been standing at the edge of the bridge for a while now. She and Puppycat resumed their trip to the store.

It was a rather small convenience shop located next to a bakery and video rental store. Bee liked it because it was next to a quaint-looking street, where few cars and pedestrians would pass by. She would feel nostalgic when walking by it, like there was something about this road which reminded her of her childhood. The store itself had a very simple and old-fashioned design, its sign was hanging at the front of the roof reading "Market" in a sans-serif font. It showed signs of age, and undoubtedly the store stood there for a long time. There weren't any posters or advertisements on the walls, it was as welcoming as one could get. Bee grabbed her usual selection of junk food and instant meals. She laid her items on the counter, and saw that there were no clerks by the checkout lines. Bee looked around for anyone who could ring out these items. "Hey, can anyone help? Customer here! In need of assistance!" Suddenly the cash register beeped and displayed a price of $24.48 on the screen. Bee was a little perplexed. Mainly because she hadn't seen another human being around today. It was if she was the only person on earth. With confusion, she laid $25 on the counter and took her food out of the store. No alarm went off, so the items must have been purchased somehow.

When she exited the store the sky had gone from a lavender to a sunset orange, with a gradient turning to black near the horizon. Bee noticed that Puppycat was no longer on the moped. This was unsettling, as Puppycat's not really the type of pet to run off somewhere alone. "Puppycat? Where— "

Suddenly Bee felt like something had struck her. Her body started to go limp, and her vision began to blur. She fell to the ground with a thud, and slowly fell into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bee awoke slightly disoriented, her vision blurred by the light of the morning sun. She groggily sat up, wiped her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was surrounded by flowers, a blend of creamy white and soft pink. The wind blew gently across the open field, carrying the scent of spring. Bee noticed that she wasn't wearing the same clothes she slept in. Instead there was a bright yellow dress with crescent moons and stars patterned in different colors. To her it looked beautiful, like something that would catch her eye in the endless racks of clothes in a flee market. She remembered the days when she had just moved into her apartment, and tried to start living by herself. She remembered going to the cheapest places possible to buy her clothes and home décor, and in a way she missed those days where she had something to do, something to work towards. Bee snapped out of her train of thought, and looked around for anyone else in the area, but she was alone. Questioned by this change of scenery, she tried to recall how she got here. The last thing she could remember was exiting the store, and not being able to find Puppycat. That was all she could dig up from her memory. Bee then saw that she was surrounded by a forest, so once finished with this field she spun around to pick a random direction and started walking into the forest.

The scent of autumn wafted through the air as Bee strolled down the forest path, head tilted slightly upwards to see the peeks of sky through the trees. The sound of crunching leaves, the beams of sunlight peering through the forest, and the brisk autumn air blowing through her hair made Bee feel at peace. She didn't know where she was nor was she concerned with it. It had always been of her to experience life without looking back, eager for everything that may come. After a while of walking the sun had started to set quicker than usual, and in a matter of minutes twilight fell upon the forest. This was a surreal and unnerving feeling for Bee, but she tried to brush her worries aside.

"Bee!" She heard a voice behind her, and turned around in a swift motion. There was no one there. "Bee…" She heard it again, this time frantically looking in all directions for the sound. "Stop!" The voice called out. Bee stopped in her tracks immediately. "There you go. Now look a little bit up." Bee found herself standing in front of a large maple tree. She tilted her head upward to the middle of the tree and was able to make out a face among the bark, and to her astonishment saw that it was moving in expression. "How do you know my name?" Bee asked the tree.

"Why wouldn't I? But that's not important."

"Can you tell me exactly where I am? It's nice, but I kind of want to go home."

"You're exactly where you need to be."

"What?"

"If you just listen for a sec, I'll tell you. Okay, so I don't know where this place is either. But that doesn't matter, because this place is important for you."

"I'm confused."

"In this place, you have to do something. You have to find something. Something that's missing from your life."

"What do you mean? And why are you talking like that?" The tree did not reply. "…So I have to find something missing? Like a life purpose? A love interest? Maybe a job? I work I guess, but it's not exactly a career." Bee found herself yammering on without a point, at which she stopped.

"I don't know. You have to find that yourself." The tree said in a hurry. "Okay, good luck. I'm going to die now."

"Wait, I need to ask— "Suddenly the face morphed back into the surrounding pattern of bark, the face had disappeared. "Weird…" Bee shuffled along the ground, and look up at the sky. "I wonder what I have to find." With all of this strange and questionable information she had taken in, Bee was lost for words. It all felt like a dream, she had nowhere to start and her thoughts drifted for what seemed like an eternity. Snapping her mind back to reality, Bee decided to keep walking along the forest. Perhaps eventually she would reach her answer.

It had gotten quite dark at this point; Bee could barely see where she was going. Suddenly that same feeling from before came to her, the one right before she awoke in the field. She wobbled to the nearest tree, disoriented and trying to keep her balance. Soon she collapsed once more and her vision blurred away.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bee awoke in the same flowery, pleasantly-scented field as before. Immediately she sat up and looked around at her surroundings. This time, the forest she'd had ventured into before was facing her back, and in the distance opposite of the forest there was a large mansion. Strangely there were no trees or garden around the building, as if someone had placed it there into existence. It was the crack of dawn, the crisp morning air was rustling the forest south, and the sun was just starting to rise ever so slowly. Bee had decided to go to the mansion to see if anyone could tell her where she is.

Upon nearing this place Bee realized that it wasn't someone's home, but more of a clubhouse or grand inn. There were numerous windows all evenly laid out against the wall, and a sign next to the building reading "WELCOME" in a renaissance-styled font. Bee could hear someone playing the piano in a ragtime fashion on the other side of the door. She started to slowly open it with a creak, but suddenly it swung open as if by its own massive, abrupt force. What laid in front of Bee was a grand hall adorned with historical-looking oil paintings, various bouquets sitting neatly in centre of tables scattered across a marble checkerboard-patterned floor, with a black and white pattern. A stage with a red velvet curtain hung ahead at the very back, and on a nearby platform was the source of the music. It appeared to be a tall, lanky figure also dressed in a checkerboard suit, wearing a mask with a cartoonish smile from ear to ear (if it had ears), teeth only shown. And to complete the look was a classic top hat with a white band. It seemed the perfect size for this musical figure. To Bee, the way he played was strange yet mesmerizing. He emphasized every movement of the keys with his whole body, each succession of notes bringing more character and enthusiasm. Bee could stand there watching this mysterious figure play for hours, hitting each note with stiff yet vibrant motions, if such a feat was possible. "Oh, are you perhaps a guest here?" A voice called out from Bee's left. It was a gaudily-dressed woman in around her late 40s, a stereotypical high-class owner of an establishment such as this one.

"Welcome to my tea shop, please sit anywhere you like." She continued.

"I'm sorry, but where is this?"

"This is a place where one can enjoy the high-class of living. Our leaves are picked from only the finest sources, and come at a hefty price."

"Well, I do like tea. But I don't have any money."

"Nonsense!" The woman had already started pouring Bee a cup. "First drink is on the house. After all, you are the first customer we've had in months!"

Bee was handed the cup of tea and took a light sip. She thanked the woman and sat at a nearby table. For a few minutes, she politely sipped her tea while listening to the mad pianist. For some reason the music soothed her. It made her feel nostalgic, despite never hearing this song in her life. Bee turned her head to the entrance, where the woman was staring out the window giving off a vibe of melancholy. Finished with her tea, Bee decided to console her. "So, business has been slow?" She asked the woman upon walking to her. "Yes, it has been a slow year. Hardly anyone comes by these days." Bee tried to figure out what to say in a situation like this.

"Mm-hmm. So what's it like running a place like this?"

"Most of the time it's rather boring. I spend most of my hours here reading and knitting."

"What about that piano player? Don't you ever talk to him?"

"Oh no, he can't speak. He's a strange fellow, he is. One day he just… strolled in his comical suit and started playing the piano, day and night. He doesn't say a word, nor does he move from that spot."

"He just keeps playing forever?"

"Oh no, of course he sleeps. And it's always at the exact same time I do."

"I've gotta say, he plays well. And I love the atmosphere."

"Yes, which is why I don't understand how there's no business."

"Maybe it's because you set up shop in the middle of a forest."

"What are you saying?"

Bee thought her last remark might've offended the owner. "Like… it's not really good for business if it's not near anyone."

"That's absurd, we're right beside the town square!"

"Wait, what?"

Bee peered out the next window, and to her surprise she saw a bustling crowd of townsfolk on the other side. "This doesn't make sense!" She frantically reached for the door and swung it open in a single motion. The town's image burst out from the old wooden door, displaying the lively environment. The sun shone through neatly scattered clouds of a generic puffy shape. The roads and buildings were built out of white and gray stones, with bright blue roof tiles blending with the overall scenery. In the distance a shore was seen past the main road, with several merchants and shops between it and her. It was definitely a town from an older time, perhaps around the early 1900s. Bee stepped out in awe, taking in the sheer beauty of this new setting. A pedestrian riding a bike sped past her, who seemed to yell something at that exact moment, which she didn't catch. Bee remembered seeing a town just like this in a painting or illustration, but she couldn't remember what.

Strolling down the main path, Bee found herself in a local market, with stalls lined up next to each other selling fresh fruit, meat and other food items. Further down the road there were stalls selling clothing and children's toys, not to mention the many indoor shops that walled this road. "Where to go from here…" Bee thought to herself. She realized that she had been aimlessly walking around with her head in the clouds. She needed a goal point. A clear objective. It was at this moment where she was distracted by a passerby riding a strange-looking bicycle made of reflective brass. Instead of standard wheels it seemed to be running on this one long rail, resembling a snowmobile. Its frame was more bulky and twisted than most bicycles, but it still had normal handlebars and kept the overall bicycle shape. Bee promptly chased the vehicle down a winding path of alleyways and roads, for no reason in particular (or none she could think of). She didn't get a very good look at the person riding the bicycle, just that he was wearing a navy blue outfit with a black helmet. After several minutes of Bee chasing and calling out to the rider, it finally stopped in front of a shop building. She caught up to it once the rider dismounted. "Hey! I was… trying to get your… attention…" Bee said heavily panting. "Hold on… let me just…" She continued to huff and groan. Finally, the rider took off his helmet to address Bee, and to her surprise she looked up to find that it was Deckard the whole time. "Deckard?! What?!" She yelled out in confusion. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Deckard asked while resting his bike.

"Why are you here? And why didn't you respond?"

"Well, I work here. And I can't hear anything while wearing this helmet." Deckard tapped the helmet sitting on the bike seat.

"What do you mean you work here? Where are we?"

"I don't really know how to answer that… I guess we're on Cobble Street?"

"No, I mean _this_ place! Can't you just tell me, Deckard?"

"Deckard? Oh, I'm sorry but I think you have me confused for someone else."

"Wait, so you're not Deckard?"

"No, my name's Charles."

"Oh well, sorry about that." Bee turned her head in embarrassment. "It's just that you look exactly like him."

"It's fine. So why are you looking for this 'Deckard'?"

"I wasn't actually looking for him. I'm just really confused about this place, since I kinda just got here."

"Well if you need some help, I'd be happy to be of assistance."

"Thanks, that would actually be really helpful." Bee pointed to Charles' bicycle. "So, where did you get a bike like that?"

"Well actually, I invented it." He answered proudly.

"You made this?" Bee crouched to get a closer look at the bike.

"Yeah, I'm an inventor. One day I just wanted to make a vehicle, so I just… threw a bunch of stuff together." Charles then rambled on about the complex mechanics of his custom bicycle, and its many capabilities on certain terrain, added features, and design inspirations.

"Neat." Was all Bee had to say.

"So, can I show you my workshop? I've got a lot more stuff here."

"Sounds good!" Suddenly Bee remembered something very crucial, something she couldn't believe she forgot about. "And by the way…"

"Yes?"

"I need your help with something… with finding my friend."

They walked through the door of the workshop, with looks of concern on their faces.


End file.
